Between Worlds
by KnivesDrawnPistolsBlazing
Summary: Sometimes, people can fall in love over and over again - in a different life as well. Slight AU.


A/N: My attempt at Tragedy/Romance. This is a slight AU where Lucy is dying and/or sick. i hope this does not happen!

Shippings: Nalu

Summary: Just read

* * *

Lucy and Natsu lived comfy in their new home. Natsu graciously let Lucy live with him after her depressed aura of 'no rent money' finally spread to him. The blonde accepted with no hesitations and moved everything to his house. This made Natsu to renovate the cottage to make it bigger for Lucy.

Their little cottage, was in the middle of the forest, and at night, you could hear the crickets, slowly lulling you to sleep. And with a debt to pay Natsu for allowing her in his home, Lucy finally made room for Natsu on her bed.

Nothing could break Natsu's cheery smile everyday when he woke up to Lucy not screaming at him and kicking him. It was heaven. With everything finally moved in their little cottage, Lucy set up a bookshelf right next to his memoria place - where he kept everything, to Lucy's maid costume and such.

Of course Natsu was curious about the new shiny book on her shelf one day. The new book had gold lining, and the cover was black, and on the cover, it had a ball of yarn that was a crimson red, that shone whenever the sun's rays hit the drawing.

It was about two people that had the 'RED STRING OF FATE' and were meant to be together. In different dimensions, and whenever they died, they would meet up with each other, and fall in love once more.

The pinkie wondered if him and his beloved blonde were the same. When Lucy came home, Natsu had stealthily placed the book back where he found it, and greeted Lucy, and begged for an afternoon snack, like usual.

Natsu was ecstatic with his life. Until now.

* * *

Current Time

* * *

He cries, not because of himself, but because of Lucy, who is sick. After all these years that they spent together, she held the same disease as her mother, Layla Heartfilia. The Magic Deficiency Disease. Lucy is sick and there isn't a thing that Natsu can do.

So there lies Lucy, sick in bed, and in her old apartment - for her landlady insisted that Lucy use it - and all her family is surrounding her. The original Team Natsu is heart-stricken more than anybody else in the guild. Natsu and Happy loves Lucy's weirdness, and her ability to light up a room with her smile.

Natsu grabs Lucy's hand, as if he were desperately trying to squeeze the sickness out of Lucy. He has a face of determination and bites his lip, so much that a dribble of blood drips to his chin. Happy slowly wipes away the blood and curls onto Lucy's breasts one more time while she is alive.

Gray mutters prayers, and Erza has a solemn face on, while Wendy's tears are streaking like shooting stars in the night sky. The other exceeds stopped flying, and rests on their respective dragonslayer's shoulders.

"Levy-chan." Lucy says slowly. And with her word, she gains the attention of the whole Fairy Tail guild in an instant. The blonde's pink pajamas looks so bright against her pale skin. "I finished my novel. Just for you."

The blue head grimaces. "You didn't have to, Lu-chan." She grips Gajeel's hand further, to stop the tears from falling down even more. "You were sick. And I would've understood it all." Levy knows what the book that Lucy was writing was about the whole time. "It's about your adventure here at Fairy Tail. With us."

"And it has an even better ending when you read it, Levy-chan."

Natsu wishes he got a parting gift from Lucy. Erza attempts to give Lucy her best armor, but Lucy refuses, saying that Erza will use it far more that she will. And with a heavy heart, Erza leaves the room. Each Fairy Tail guild member gives Lucy, a piece of their heart and files away out of the room.

Leaving Natsu with Lucy, still gripping her hand. "Luce. The doctors, they can figure everything out, right?" Lucy attempts to open her mouth, but Natsu continues. "Y-You won't die and leave us - !" He breaks. "This, this… is all j-just some sick joke? It's not funny."

But knowing that it isn't a joke, he cries into Lucy's stomach, tears flowing freely, like is 'Karyu no hoko' attack. "T-The doctors…" He trails off. "Luce?" He asks. Lucy has been silent. Then slowly, she gives him a book.

The same book he read a while back - which seems like years ago.

"It'll happen again." Lucy states.

Natsu looks at her in bewilderment. "What will - ?"

"We'll meet each other - "

The destructive dragonslayer looks at the book that Lucy gave him. The one about the red string of fate. Natsu opens his mouth. "Don't say that! You'll live through this disease, Luce!" He slides out of the chair he was sitting on. "I'll help you walk - "

" - and we will live together again - "

Natsu looks at Lucy. She has a dreamy look on her face, then Natsu attempts to intercede. Lucy pats her stomach and shushes Natsu and looks at him with tired eyes. She had been fighting sleep this whole time " - have the girl with brown eyes, like me - "

" - Where? Where is this going to happen - ?"

Lucy laughs and relaxes on the pillows, with a sigh in contempt. " - And pink hair like you." She finishes. "In the next world we meet." She smiles and looks over to Natsu. "Maybe I'll live long enough to have Nashi, ne?"

Natsu looks at the book. Of course. Him and Lucy were always tied by the red string of fate. He trembles and looks at Lucy. "Don't go! S-Stay for five more - " Lucy looks at the ceilings, like she was counting the stars.

"My friends know." Lucy says when she looks back at Natsu. "Leo, Aries, Aquarius… They know that I don't have much time left." Natsu meets Lucy's eyes. "Fate was cruel to me. But I have a feeling that it won't be cruel to me… next time."

"Let me sleep, Natsu."

The idiot thinks about Lucy. All those times Lucy had sacrifices things for him finally came rushing back to his memories. When fighting, she would never leave his side. When he thought he had nobody, she would comfort him.

"Live on, Natsu." Lucy soothes, as she patted Natsu's arm. "Even though I can't be there to slow you down, or complain." Her brown eyes shone. "Be active. Fight monsters. Be you!"

"You never slowed me down…" Natsu starts, then whimpers, like a dog whose master is dying. "You were my motivation. I-I can't do anything without you!" He confesses. If only… "IF ONLY YOU COULD LIVE!" He yells.

Lucy laughs at his strength for her to live. "Let me go… and I promise you. We'll both be happy."

"Don't go!" Natsu rushes to check Lucy's pulse, which was already weakening. "Porlyusica! I think she's around here - "

"Porlyusica already did her best." The blonde lets out a weak sigh. "Thanks for everything, Natsu. You did everything that changed my life."

Even though she's already hurt, Lucy tells all that she's thankful for. "You brought me to Fairy Tail. You gave me a family. You protected me." Lucy holds Natsu's hand and looks at him with her big chocolate eyes. "Remember me, okay?"

Silence places between them. Natsu knows that there's nothing he could do to save Lucy. All he could do was protest, but that can't even stop the inevitable. Nurses, doctors, strange voodoo men. They tried them all. Natsu hiccuped.

"You're not going to die!"

Lucy gives a weak 'Lucy Punch' to Natsu. Slowly and surely, her eyes began to give out. Her vision blurred, and it started fading. With Natsu being the last thing she saw. "Hey Natsu?" She called out. "I-I love you. Ever since Hargeon."

With that, Natsu cracks. "L-Luce…"

 _"I'll finish my novel later, Levy-chan, let's just enjoy this cliche cafe moment!"_

 _"You better finish it. Gajeel is coming here in a moment, Lu-chan!"_

 _"Is that Gajeel?"_

Even though Fate has been cruel to us in this timeline, I can't help but think that my last words to you should've been my confession.

 _"Oh, that is Gajeel! See ya, Lu-chan!"_

 _"Bye, Levy-chan!"_

I remember your brown eyes going out, like a light. Luce, you were and are my light. I miss you. Sometimes I wish that I should've committed suicide so I could meet you. But you told me to live on.

 _"Hey, is this spot taken?"_

 _"Nope! Not at all! I like your hair."_

 _"Yeah. Pink is so in season."_

Every time I visited your grave, my heart squeezes, like it's missing the better half. Which is you, and your smile that can light up everything. I later learned that Lucy means light. I should've known that before.

 _"I'm Lucy. You?"_

 _"Natsu Dragneel. Part time dragon slayer, full time gamer."_

 _"Oh? Can I be a celestial wizard then?"_

The red roses are like stars. I make sure of that. But even though we live then we die, I'll always love you, even though I might not know you yet.

 _"I feel like I know you…"_

 _"Same...Luce."_

I love you, you weirdo.

* * *

Hey! This was not as sad as I expected. All the slanted lines are the alternate universe where Nalu meets. Again. I got this idea and kind of used the writing style from this:

s/9984088/1/Red-String-Of-Fate

Thank you RivaMikaDailyDose. I thought it was sweet.


End file.
